My youngest son loves avocado. It’s his daily lunch staple along with a bit of homemade applesauce.
We go through so many that I’ve hated throwing them out. Then I found out about reusing scraps from fruit and vegetables to use in the garden. Check out the book: Don’t Throw It, Grow It!: 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scraps
It’s filled with so many nifty ideas like regrowing all those avocados my son goes through – along with celery, green onions, carrot tops (why didn’t I think of that?) and much more. I’ve even seen pineapple tops regrown as plants.
So I’ve started growing my own. Here’s the start of my kitchen scrap garden: avocado, chickpeas and carrots. The chickpeas were just a fun experiment for my oldest son. We went through the pantry looking for beans to sprout and grow, and all I had were chickpeas. We sprouted them in a mason jar with a wet paper towel and we got these gorgeous sprouts and greens just 2 weeks later. Chickpeas can be sprouted in a few days and you can eat as is. My son wanted to see how big his chickpea plant could grow so we kept it in the jar.
Mason jars are easy planters to regrow vegetable and fruit scraps and can even be used long term with a bit of potted soil. Here are some other stylish ideas for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.
This post was written by
Tracey Black is the founder and editor-in-chief for Don't Mess with Mama, the sassy mom's guide to parenting, green living and travel. She is a regular contributor to Redbook's Mamarama blog, and a social media strategist working with eco-friendly brands such as Stonyfield, Juice Beauty and others. She has three boys and lives in San Diego, Calif.
We are starting a garden this year to show where food comes from, love this tip.
Jennifer Williams recently posted..Moving Monday – Swinging
What a great idea. I agree growing food shows kids so much about where their food comes from. Good luck on the garden!
I’l habe to check this book out! I wouldn’t mind having avocado trees (although it does hurt when an avocado hits you on the head!)
I could eat avocados every day. I’d love to have a few trees around here too. Thanks for visiting.
Awe I think it is awesome your little one will eat Avacados. Mine won’t touch them.
Awww, I’m sure there are a lot of other things your little one can eat. We just love how portable and high in good fat and protein avocados have.
We have an avocado growing on the kitchen counter now! Great tips…I should try some of the others!
Rachael~Adventures in Wunderland recently posted..A Visit to George Washington’s House
Yeah! I’m still waiting for my avocado to grow but my kids are excited to see it finally sprout.
WOW! Ok, I am going to try this! I used to have a garden on my patio, and it was fun.. but then I moved! New garden fun to try!
I am going to talk about this on my other blog, and am going to mention and link back to you
I mentioned your introduction in my post
http://blogs.angloinfo.com/the-socialite-housewife/2013/01/19/a-garden-on-your-windowsill/
Paula Robinson recently posted..namie amuro to perform in Singapore! ASIA TOUR 2013
Thanks for the mention! Great post!
I had no idea that you could grow so many plants {edible} indoors! I have one of those frogs, too! I have my dishwasher scrubby thingie in it. It would look way cooler with a plant! Thanks!
Dawn
That’s a neat idea too – storing sponges in the frog. Love it.
Wow that’s awesome! I need to try this!
Michelle Ferguson recently posted..Mercola Coconut Oil Review!
Oh wow! I had no idea you could do this. My daughter is a big fan of avocado too.
Ashley recently posted..Jealousy of the Stay-at-Home Parent
I’m useless with plants. I kill everything. And now you’re telling me there’s a way to revive them? Definitely trying this! with scraps too.
Definitely worth a try – give those plants and kitchen scraps some life support.
For reals? This would be so fun! Now I just have to know how long does it take to turn your avo seed into an avocado?
Joann, it’ll take a while (3-4 years) but it would be fun for the kids to watch. Here are more directions on how to grow an avocado from a pit: http://inhabitat.com/how-to-grow-an-avocado-tree-from-an-avocado-pit/
Those chickpea sprouts are oddly lovely! Very springy. This is such a cool idea. Wish my apartment’s kitchen had windows!
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Thanks for stopping by. I agree, they came out so cute. My boys planted them in the garden outside so I’m curious how they turn out.
Hmm, never knew you could regrow carrots from the tops – that’s pretty cool! We’d love to grow an Avocado plant as well but I don’t think they’d grow here. We saw some huge avocados on a recent trip to Hawaii they were bigger than bocce balls – I had no idea they grew that big.
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Great post! I’m in the Northeast and would LOVE to have an avocado tree (since we eat them daily), but the climate is less than accommodating for that. I’ve had GREAT luck with regrowing scallions and keeping them in a mason jar in the winter OR replanting them in my garden in the summer. Here’s my experience: http://mixwellness.com/tips/scallions-buy-once-eat-for-a-lifetime/. Totally going to use your tips for chickpeas and carrot tops and share with my followers and clients – thanks so much!
Kristen @ MIX | Wellness Solutions For A Balanced Life recently posted..Toxic Tomatoes: Why You May Be Doing More Harm Than Good
Hi Kristin, great post! I’ve had great success with scallions too. We use them like crazy in our house.